SMOKING BANS

z_illa

yay or nay?

Big_Chan

yay or nay?

Yay. Just try that shit in Asia! LOL

Swayze

go outside.

z_illa

go outside.

smokers or nonsmokers???

flatblackplastic

as a smoker i say YAY.
i wanna/gotta quit soon.

knewjak

go outside.

who? the smoker or the non-smoker?

Im all for non smoking. This past weekened I was at a bachelor party where I was the only guy who did not smoke. The next day I woke up feeling and smelling like shit, not from the alcohol. Second hand smoke aint no joke.

Jonny_Paycheck

go outside.

I'm feeling the smoking ban (and I smoke like a chimney when I drink). First off, I hate smelling like a damn ashtray when I get home/wake up in the am. Second, I recognize that shit can be toxic and nausiating to some folks. Third, I actually smoke a little less and appreciate the stoge (sp?) a little more when I have to get up, go out to the cold to do it.

That said, I am super feeling bars that let you smoke after, say, 2. Or if it's empty. Or whenever. That's dope.

bassie

yay - and i smoke. it's nice not having to breathe it in while i'm eating or coming home stinking like it all the time. i also find i am not as tired or worn out from being in a smoky place all night. it is especially nice not having records that stink like smoke. opening my 45 case to get waft of cigarette smoke is gross. i don't mind having to go out at all.

what sucks is that the city has done nothing to deal with all the butts on the sidewalk. they should have thought it through a little more and put ashtrays in front of bars, restuarants, etc.

soulmarcosa

Cosign on all the cons of smoking listed above.

Smoking bans are dope.

Seems like half the smokers out there want to quit anyway, so it's a win-win situation.

DOR

As a non smoker I wouldn't mind one. That said, I have no prob with places that have smoking enclosed sections.

And I would think that if the Government really wanted to start banning shit, they should stop collecting taxes from it and just make it a non legal product. Not to ban the sale mind you and to be able to penalize smokers.

I just think its stupid that the government can be like, we know its bad for you, but give us the tax dollers from it. Wonder when the first lawsuit against a government is gonna happen?

The only time I get ticked off with someone smoking is when I'm waiting in a bus shelter or something and someone is smoking... Just step outside and smoke and enjoy it with fresh air.

CousinLarry

I would be down with a smoking ban in Richmond, but honestly I doubt it will happen. Everyone seems to smoke down here. I can put up with that shit in bars . I don't like it so much when I eat though. At my girlfriends job people are allowed to smoke in the office. People smoke pipes and cigars at their desks, and they told my girlfriend she couldnt light a candle because its a fire hazzard. Her job sucks.

z_illa

Is this a governmental issue or a social issue? What other social issues should we put the government in control of?

bassie

it's a public health issue - so it's governmental. the social aspects/issues are, IMO, peripheral arguments. even as a smoker i think the idea of (cigarette) smokers' rights is a bit of a stretch.

z_illa

I'm more for the bar's (aka personal property) rights though. Is the owners opinion less valuble than the patrons?

DOR

I'm more for the bar's (aka personal property) rights though. Is the owners opinion less valuble than the patrons?

The thing is, will the bar owner be setting himself up for a lawsuit down the line...

bassie

I don???t know. Is someone???s property rights and their right to run a successful business (which I know in a lot of cases is their livelihood) more important than people???s health? The city could allow certain places to remain smoking and then folks can choose whether or not to patronize that place. But it???s more than that. The bans are trying to make it difficult to smoke anywhere in order to change habits and move towards a non-smoking population. The transition will obviously not be easy.

There was such a huge uproar in Toronto about this, and please correct me if I???m wrong, but I have not heard of anywhere going out of business because of the smoking ban. I have not seen a drop in numbers in any of the places I frequent.

z_illa

I have not heard of anywhere going out of business because of the smoking ban.

this site is the first that comes to mind.



http://www.davehitt.com/facts/badforbiz.html



I live in Chicago which doesn't have a ban so I really can't relay any personal accounts.

flatblackplastic

in austin, tx now you cannot smoke in any bar or restaurant. most of the bars have opened up some sort of patio for the smokers.

DJCire

Although it doesn't bother me much, I still say ban it...

One of my favorite things I hear out hear/see out here in Cali is people who get all over-dramatic because someone is smoking near them (if you're at a public/outside place like the beach or the flea market). Just move people, its that simple........................

Birdman9

in austin, tx now you cannot smoke in any bar or restaurant. most of the bars have opened up some sort of patio for the smokers.

This is a good thing.

In Minneapolis however, this will be interesting to see how it gos in the dead of winter.

I am all for smoking bans, personally. Stats I have seen usually show an increase in overall business in restaurants and bars. It's the short term change that is tough on the bar owners. In DC, though, I have noticed that the ratio of smokers to non-smokers seems much smaller than in Minneapolis(where it seems like everyone under the age of 30 is an avid smoker).

bassie

I have not heard of anywhere going out of business because of the smoking ban.

this site is the first that comes to mind.

http://www.davehitt.com/facts/badforbiz.html

Pretty interesting. Of the Toronto places mentioned that I know - I can tell you that the Bovine is no less crowded than it was before the ban and they recently put in a smoking room in the back which is just horrible - there is no ventilation whatsoever. And if it's the same Element that I know - that place did not close down due to the smoking ban. No matter, it's obvious plenty of places have had a hard time with it.

To extend the argument, should tobacco companies be kept going to save jobs even though their trade is as harmful as it is?

DOR

To extend the argument, should tobacco companies be kept going to save jobs even though their trade is as harmful as it is?

Bang on...


I might catch some slack on saying this. But I don't really think tobacco companies should be sued. Aren't all they doing is providing a legal product. The fact that it's harmful should be looked at Governments and the blame. Since they make a huge amount of money off the tabacco sales and have yet to ban it all together. Why are other products that kill us (even in small numbers) not legal, but this is (which kills in such great numbers)?

Sure the tabacco companies have some major lawyers that lobby for them, but aren't they just playing by the rules set out?

Funny tho, I don't think any government could stand on a platform of banning tobacco in an election and they wouldn't get back into power for a longgg time.

asprin

I say yay...

as a business owner

1. you're putting your employees at risk
2. you're putting your patrons at risk

It's that simple. I don't know why it's even an issue or has taken this long to happen. Since moving to LA, I've enjoyed going out and not having to sit in a crowded bar filled with smoke. Coming home smelling like it is also another thing I don't have to deal with anymore. I'm all for it.

dCastillo

I win

billbradley

in austin, tx now you cannot smoke in any bar or restaurant. most of the bars have opened up some sort of patio for the smokers.

I thought that you couldn't smoke in any bar in Austin until I went to Trudy's South. The bar is actually a smoking section there. I guess they could get a license for smoking because it is sectioned off with glass and a door, plus you can order drinks outside of the bar area without going into the smoke.

All in all, I've been enjoying the smoking ban, but my favorite bar said they've been losing business and just raised their prices to compensate for it.

z_illa

I win

In this situation, wouldn't a win consist of you asking me to step outside (the second time you most likely wouldn't need to ask) and me stepping outside. Instead you must indirectly go around me to the government to force me to step outside?

dCastillo

I win

In this situation, wouldn't a win consist of you asking me to step outside (the second time you most likely wouldn't need to ask) and me stepping outside. Instead you must indirectly go around me to the government to force me to step outside?

what can I say, I'm passive aggressive.


sorry if those government agents roughed you up a bit

sticky_dojah

i say yay too. I do smoke, but i wouldn't mind so much, as long as there are a few places left where you could smoke. dude from dublin (where the ban is active now for 1.5 years) said, that it is cool (he smokes). the only irritating thing though, he said, would be if you go to a drum n bass party or something where a lot of people dance steadily, it smells like a gym sometimes due to the absence of smoke which would blur the BO a bit

it was said that bar visits have decreased by 20% since the ban. However, it is not clear, if improved homeentertainment (dvd's, raers, etc.) plays a role, too.

Swayze

go outside.

who? the smoker or the non-smoker?

Im all for non smoking. This past weekened I was at a bachelor party where I was the only guy who did not smoke. The next day I woke up feeling and smelling like shit, not from the alcohol. Second hand smoke aint no joke.

Sorry...I meant the smokers. I've had many dinners ruined by the scent of newports.

the3rdstream

FUCK ALL YOU ALL!
LET ME KILL MYSELF INDOORS!

Jonny_Paycheck

FUCK ALL YOU ALL!
LET ME KILL MYSELF INDOORS!

You can. It's called your house.